FIGHTING FOR BREATH
A status update of a colleague on a mobile chat jolted me. It had one simple word: breathing. It took me a few seconds before, without thinking, I took a few greedy breaths.
Breathing, something so automatic, so much taken for granted, was the most conspicuous function of the body to those thousands trapped in Rana Plaza. With concrete only inches away and no possible way to move, limbs caught under a machine or a beam, the only thing on their minds was to keep on breathing. We don't know how many actually have perished while trying to hold on to that priceless gift called life. Some of those who miraculously survived described their ordeal as like being buried alive or trapped in a grave – dark, dusty, with little hope – only prayers and the natural instinct to breath, to keep them going.
Breathing became difficult for the hundreds of brave rescuers, who had to shut out the stench of rotting bodies, the clouds of dust from the debris, the stifling heat, the fear for their own lives, everything, to just go on, forcing their bodies to do the work: find them, save them.
It became difficult when all they could do was weep inconsolably, failing to pull out a woman when a fire broke out during the rescue operation.
And breathing almost stopped for those waiting, every time there was a cry of triumph that someone had been brought out alive and when the sound of prayers declared yet another corpse found.
The latest tragedy that has already taken the lives of 388 (confirmed) and most probably hundreds more, is all the more unacceptable because it was the result of one single, cruel decision: to keep the factory open despite clear signs of danger. The workers – mostly young men and women- knew that they were possibly entering a death trap, they didn't want to go in. But they did so anyway, in fear of losing their jobs, their salaries only a few days away, their only means of supporting their families. They were not given the choice – between life and death.
This horrible, unbelievable murder happened because of a handful of individuals who wielded their power – of money and political influence – to construct a monstrous building defying all building codes and laws, filling the floors with heavy machinery and thousands of workers. They did this because they could. Because our society is overindulgent of the corrupt and ruthless towards the poor and helpless. Greed won over basic human conscience. It egged on the owner of Rana Plaza to expand his illegal kingdom, stretch it as much as possible, at the cost of lives and limbs. The same motivation prompted the other garment factory owners to follow suit.
Is this finally a wakeup call? Really? Why does this tragedy have so much similarity to the 2005 Spectra Garments collapse, when a nine-story building tumbled down for similar reasons snatching at least 75 (official estimate) lives? It is unfathomable that we keep hearing about building codes being violated, low-grade building materials being used, illegal filling of wetlands for high-rise construction, lack of proper fire safety measures and so on. And then there is the aftermath of these man-made disasters - the puny compensation packages to survivors or families of victims followed by total forgetfulness.
The poor, after all, do not matter. There are so many of them, they are expendable. Is this why we boast about having such a huge young population so that they can be money-making machines until they perish in some fire, building collapse or some other act of gross negligence?
The live coverage of the rescue efforts have certainly woken us up to the reality of how gruelling and excruciating the process can be. It has shown the sheer act of love of ordinary people that brought them to Savar in the hope of doing something, anything, to help those in need. Without proper tools or knowledge, they climbed into the darkness and held their breath when they had to, determined to pull out as many people as possible.
At the time of writing this it will be the fifth day of the tragedy; the authorities have decided to go for the second phase of the operation that will use heavy equipment to remove the debris. This means the chances of finding survivors are very slim. Breathing will have become slower, more laboured; and finally, will have stopped altogether.
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